Advertising effects on consumer processing of brand extensions: applying the categorization model and framing theory

This study proposed and tested a conceptual model of consumer processing of brand extensions. The sequential flow of this model is described as follows: (1) consumer exposure to a brand extension spontaneously activates a parent brand category and its extension product category associated with the brand extension; (2) this activation will trigger two types of holistic evaluation, involving consumer assessment of the parent-brand image and product-feature fit between the parent brand category and its extension product category; (3) this holistic evaluation will facilitate either a category-based or a attribute-based judgment of the similarity between the parent brand and its brand extension; and (4) the process of such judgment will result in either a heuristic category-based or an analytical piecemeal-based evaluation to help shape consumer attitude toward and intention to purchase the brand extension. Based on testing the conceptual framework, Experiment 1 found that perceived fit of product features between a parent brand and its extension product category increased perceived similarity between the parent brand and its brand extension and consumer attitude toward the brand extension. By contrast, perceived fit of brand/product image between the parent brand and its extension product category decreased correct recall of the product-feature related attributes of the brand extension. In addition, there was a positive relationship between perceived similarity of the parent brand and its brand extension and brand extension attitude. Experiment 2 investigated how advertising techniques to frame parent-brand image specific associations and product-feature related attributes of the brand extension could contribute to consumer processing of brand extensions. The results showed that such advertising techniques did not influence consumer processing of brand extensions with either a high parent-brand image/high product-feature fit or a low parent-brand image/low product-feature fit. However, by excluding the product-feature related description of the brand extensions in the ad, a brand extension with a high parent-brand image/low product-feature fit was found to increase perceived similarity between the brand extension and its parent brand. By comparison, for a brand extension with a low parent-brand image/high product-feature fit, the ad headlines that framed the parent-brand image increased consumer intention to purchase the brand extension.